39 



grams is essential to achieving the goal of improving watershed 

 planning and involvement of landowners, the stakeholders, in the 

 watershed planning process. Increased 319 funds should be di- 

 rected toward improving technical assistance and education pro- 

 grams in the States. Cost-share assistance should also be made 

 available to individuals who are implementing new and costly man- 

 agement practices. 



H.R. 3948 would authorize higher funding levels for both the 319 

 programs and State revolving funds, and we support these impor- 

 tant provisions. But we have many concerns with the bill as intro- 

 duced. A more complete discussion of the Clean Water Working 

 Group's concerns with H.R. 3948 is contained in my prepared state- 

 ment. Also included with that statement are an attached letter to 

 the chairman of the Committee on Public Works and Transpor- 

 tation, and the Principles Statement of the Clean Water Working 

 Group with regard to the Clean Water Act amendments which was 

 developed last year. 



In closing, the Clean Water Working Group encourages the Con- 

 gress to include improvements in national wetlands policy in Clean 

 Water Act amendments, and our specific recommendations will be 

 discussed by the next witness. 



Thank you for your consideration, Mr. Chairman. 



[The prepared statement of Mrs. Olson appears at the conclusion 

 of the hearing.] 



Mr. Johnson. Thank you, Mrs. Olson. Mr. Stallman, please pro- 

 ceed. 



STATEMENT OF BOB STALLMAN, PRESIDENT, TEXAS FARM BU- 

 REAU, AND MEMBER, BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AMERICAN 

 FARM BUREAU FEDERATION, ON BEHALF OF THE CLEAN 

 WATER WORKING GROUP 



Mr. Stallman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My name is Bob 

 Stallman. I am president of the Texas Farm Bureau and a member 

 of the American Farm Bureau Federation's board of directors. I am 

 representing both organizations here today as well as the Clean 

 Water Working Group. We appreciate the opportunity to be here 

 today, and my comments will focus on the need for wetlands legis- 

 lation within the Clean Water Act. 



Much of agriculture has endorsed and continues to support H.R. 

 1330 introduced by Representatives Hayes and Ridge. We also ap- 

 preciate Chairman de la Garza's efforts to become involved in this 

 important issue. 



Numerous changes are needed to wetlands policy. Central to this 

 issue, we believe, is the need to protect private property rights. 

 Some 75 percent of wetlands are on private property. Landowners 

 should not have to bear the sole cost of wetlands protection for soci- 

 ety at large. Congress should require compensation of landowners 

 if restrictive Government regulation reduces the value or use of pri- 

 vate property. 



The Soil Conservation Service must play the critical role in iden- 

 tifying wetlands on agricultural land. With the expertise of SCS 

 personnel in areas such as soil and wetlands science, as well as 

 that agency's long history of working in cooperation with agri- 

 culture, we believe that SCS should be the sole agency that delin- 



